Shior Songsteel
The Dreaming Days Shior was born just outside Shattrath, and spent much of her early life in her family's home. She showed a talent for jewelry making at an early age, but had few interests. Much of her immediate family were vindicators, having learned harsh lessons during the retreat from Argus, but their warnings and stories were lost on young Shior, who thought the Burning Legion would never find them on Draenor. She retained a faith in the Light, but did not take any study of it seriously, and eschewed learning the use of weapons and combat tactics in favor of daydreaming and making jewelry which she would give away, or occasionally sell to merchants in the city. The End of Innocence But evil does not rest, and the Burning Legion came to Draenor. The orcs, with whom the Draenei had always maintained a tenuous peace, were corrupted, and began purging Shior's people. Her entire family were either killed in battle, or hunted down and exterminated by fel orcs. Shior began wandering the wilds of Draenor alone, finding food where she could, and hiding from roving bands of orcs and demons. The Light had not forsaken her, however, and she happened across a band of Draenei who were en route to Tempest Keep, to join the prophet Velen in his attempt to capture a ship, and escape the doomed planet. She survived the fighting that followed, made it aboard the ship before it departed, and then survived the crash landing on Azeroth. Service with the Argent Dawn After the Draenei made contact with the Alliance, and pledged to join it, Shior began learning to use the Light from human teachers. She excelled at this, and was soon after sent to the ruins of Lordaeron to further her studying and training with the Argent Dawn. The convoy she traveled with was attacked and overwhelmed by undead outside of Corrin's Crossing, however. Much of her party fled in fear, and the few that stood their ground were quickly struck down. Shior did what she could, healing wounds and fighting as best as she knew how, but was badly wounded herself, and began losing consciousness. Just as all went dark, she heard the clanging of hammers and the clash of steel. Several days later, she awoke at Light's Hope, surprised to find her wounds healed, and herself quite alive. She learned that an Argent patrol- consisting of a mere two people- had rescued her, cleansed her of the Scourge's poisons, and brought her there. To her disappointment, however, her rescuers had already departed, and she was unable to thank them. Impressed by the apparent skill of her rescuers, she decided that this was, in fact, the best place for her to learn the ways of the paladin. She stayed at Light's Hope for some months, training and learning to handle herself in battle, while also protecting others. Resources and personnel were few and in short supply for the Argents in those days, and many of their most skilled craftsmen patrolled and battled the Scourge, stopping to create new items only on rare occasions. Some months after arriving there, Shior was sent to one of the Argent blacksmiths, who had just returned from one such mission, so that she could have a set of armor and a weapon crafted. Upon meeting the blacksmith, she was surprised to learn that he was one of her rescuers. She learned his name was Talarman Songsteel, and was quite taken with him from the start. He was only at Light's Hope for a short time, just long enough to craft armor and weapons for the new recruits, and maybe get a full night's sleep, before he ventured back out into the Plaguelands to continue battling the Scourge. It was several more months before she was deemed ready to take part in a patrol herself- and was then shocked to find herself assigned to Talarman's team. The two hit if off very quickly, and became nearly inseparable. Talarman, for his part, did much to teach Shior, and protected her heavily in the early days. Eventually, however, she began to hold her own, and eventually Talarman began including her in some of his more hair-brained schemes, which almost sometimes worked. Their bonds continued to grow stronger. The Northrend Campaign When the threat from Arthas emerged in Northrend, Talarman, Shior, and his brother Talarmore were among those chosen to form the new Argent Crusade. They traveled to Northrend, and had many bloody adventures throughout the continent. During the course of the campaign, Talarman and Shior decided to be wed, with Shior taking on Talarman's surname. The Crusade would not give them leave to hold a proper ceremony, however, so a hasty pairing was performed in Dalaran while the pair were en route to the assault on Icecrown Citadel, and their marriage remained unconsummated for well over a month. Their battle group was divided when the time came for the assault, with Talarmore and Shior assisting in the battle for the Pit of Saron, while Talarman played a critical role in the assault on the Citadel proper, taking part in the battle against Deathbringer Saurfang and securing a foothold in the fortress. Following the fall of Arthas, the Songsteels grew disenchanted with the Argents. Tirion Fordring took full credit for the success of the Argents, though he was nowhere to be found in the early years when a scattered few had held the line against the might of the Scourge. His blustering and arrogance rubbed on all three of the Songsteels, all of whom had questioned the legitimacy of Tirion's order that all former members of the Silver Hand return and swear allegiance to the Argents. Their annoyance was made worse when survivors of the battle against Arthas reported that Tirion had spent the entire battle encased in a block of ice, a far cry from the well circulated tale that Tirion had won the battle almost singlehandedly- a claim never exactly made by Tirion, but not one he denied either. After some heated exchanges with higher ranking Argent officers, Talarman, Shior, and Talarmore resigned from the Crusade, and returned to Stormwind, where they were able to use the rewards of their adventures to purchase a family home in the Cathedral District of Stormwind, where his father and mother now live in retirement. Service with the Stormwind Silver Hand After the lost continent of Pandaria was revealed, Talarman, Shior, and Talarmore joined the Stormwind chapter of the Silver Hand with great joy, intending to finish what they had started before the Third War. There were difficulties, however. Talarman was unable to obtain a mentor who would complete his training, going through four separate knights in short order, while Shior and Talarmore were unable to obtain one at all. Some months after joining, they decided to resign their commissions, and seek a new path. On the Turning Away Following their departure from the Stormwind chapter, they learned of an Argent affiliated order, the Aegis of Light, who was in the midst of tracking down a cult in the Western Plaguelands. The Songsteel family all sought to join the Aegis, under Dilan Ravenshield, and were accepted. They lent their experience in the Plaguelands to the order, as well as their individual strengths and talents, until the order was disbanded some months later. Following the end of the Aegis of Light, they served briefly with the Grand Alliance Vanguard, until a disagreement with the head of the Vanguard drove him to depart. After the departure, Talarman encountered a friend of his from the Silver Hand, Sir Kuth Anner, who was now serving with the First Regiment. A brief discussion ensued, during which Kuth persuaded Talarman and Shior to join this order, which was seeking to strengthen its paladin corps at the time. Unfortunately, their time spent with the regiment was shortened following a series of disagreements that found Talarman and Kuth on one side, and another paladin on the other. Rather than engaging in lengthy arguments and fighting the other paladin every step of the way, Talarman and Shior resigned from the regiment, and she again found herself orderless. Finding a Home After a short period, Talarman met with Shior and Talarmore, and discussed their options. Following a short conversation, the decision was made to attempt a return to the Silver Hand. Talarman contacted a clergyman who was a prominent member of the order at the time about the possibility of a return. The clergyman, Bishop Caspius Greenleaf, spoke favorably of the possibility, and suggested that Talarman contact the head of the order, Lord Tenevus Stromheart. After a brief meeting, Lord Stromheart agreed to accept Talarman and Shior back into the order. Shortly thereafter, Shior met a fellow Draenei by the name of Vandrasi, who while not much older than Shior, had completed vindicator training on Draenor prior to the turning of the orcs. The two quickly became close friends, and Vandrasi agreed to take on Shior as a squire. Through the various trials and tribulations of aspirancy, Shior eventually gained her knighthood, and became a common fixture at all Silver Hand operations, standing alongside her husband and their compatriots against the various enemies of the Alliance and of the Light. During this same period, the Songsteel family took into their home a troubled young priest, named Qienna Slade. Qienna stayed with them for some time, and became a close friend of the family. She went on to be adopted by the Olethos family, making her Qienna Olethos, and is now a prior of the church. She remains a close friend of the Songsteel family, and can frequently be found collaborating with them on work for the Order. A Dream Fulfilled During this time, Shior became pregnant with their first child. A few months before the birth, they were introduced to a young girl named Nancy, who had been rescued by the order from abuse and captivity in Westfall. Under normal circumstances, a girl her age would have been placed in the Silver Hand Orphanage, but when her mental trauma, and stunted emotional growth were taken into account, it was clear that she could not be consigned to such a place, and that constant care would be needed to ensure she could eventually lead a normal life. In order to see that come to pass, the Songsteels formally adopted young Nancy, and are now working to repair the damage wrought upon her by her captors. A short time after adopting Nancy, the Songsteels welcomed a baby boy into the family. They named him Rakir Andrew, the former being a Draenic name meaning "Light-bringing," and the latter meaning "warrior". The Return to Lordaeron In 623 KC, Talarman was prompted by the Light to travel north, and begin the rebuilding of the original Silver Hand, in Lordaeron. Naturally, the first person he spoke to of this prompting was Shior. She had felt similar promptings, and immediately pledged her support to the endeavor. She immediately began encouraging Talarman to pursue the matter through official channels, and assisted him in doing so. After their initial questions received favorable responses, she approached several other members of the Stormwind chapter, such as her former mentor, Vandrasi, about joining in the attempt. When all was prepared, Shior, Talarman, and the others obtained the public blessings of the Council of Bishops, and moved north to Tyr's Hand, from where they conducted operations as the re-established Lordaeron Silver Hand. Several months after establishing the order, a crusade was called by Archbishop Alonsus Secundus to extract revenge from the Horde for a variety of transgressions. The crusade was a controversial one, however, and many of the orders affiliated with the Council of Bishops did not answer the call. Shior's chapter did, however, and while the main body of the crusade marched west from Arathi, fighting the Horde as they went, her chapter joined forces with Zaria Blackmoore's Alterac chapter. Together they formed a powerful pincer which swept south from Alterac, sacked Tarren Mill, and struck the main Horde body from behind. After uniting with the main body, the crusade pushed into Silverpine Forest, where they met determined Horde resistance. The crusade stalled and was eventually defeated. The chapter suffered heavy losses, from which it never recovered. It disbanded a few months later. The Remnant After the disbanding of the chapter, Shior and Talarman served under Cardinal Niklos Adamant in his newly formed Remnant of Lordaeron, continuing the work they had begun with their previous chapter. They remained there for several months, but had a number of minor disputes with the officers of the order, which drove them to seek greener pastures. The Brotherhood of Clemency Those pastures would be found with the founding of the Brotherhood of Clemency by a number of clergy previously affiliated with the Council of Bishops. Chief among these were Nelany Faersong and Qienna Songsteel, Talarman and Shior's close friend and now sister in law, who enthusiastically welcomed them into the order. There they resumed mentoring squires, though this largely required they leave Lordaeron behind, and spend most of their days within the realm of Stormwind. They remained with the Brotherhood for several months, until the order came under political pressure and abruptly disbanded. Another Addition While with the Brotherhood, Shior gave birth to a daughter, whom she and Talarman named Lily Aman. This was a switch of the naming convention they had adopted for her older brother, with her first name being a human one meaning "Pure" and the latter being a Draenic name meaning "The Favour of Grace". A Home for the Family A number of the members of the Brotherhood were merged into Zaria Blackmoore's chapter, which had since expanded beyond a simple Silver Hand organization and into a full fledged state overseeing a significant portion of the former kingdom. There they were reunited with an old friend, Sir Shindo Malphur, whom they had known since their days in the Stormwind chapter. During their time with the order, they received permission to re-settle Talarman's family lands in the valley northeast of Strahnbrad. Together they oversaw the repair of Der Steelhaus, the manor at the center of Castle Songsteel, the small fortress at the heart of the estate. During this time, they also welcomed five families to settle the land, among them their old Argent compatriot, Ramil Firelocks, who estabished a mill near the manor for the processing of the crops raised on the estate. The Legion Strikes Shior took part in many adventures within Alterac alongside her husband, as well as in the order's military operations against the Legion on the Broken Isles, where the duo were frequently called upon to scout Legion positions, and conduct harassing raids along the enemy's axis of advance to slow their progress and cause general irritation among the demonic throngs. On several occasions, they also helped form the spearhead of major actions against the Legion, in particular after the front shifted to Argus. This gave Shior an opportunity she had always longed for, to see her people's home planet. The opportunity was not all she had hoped for, however, as the planet had been sundered and all but destroyed by the foul influence of the demonic army. Nonetheless, Shior and Talarman distinguished themselves in all areas in which they served, helping contribute to the eventual victory over the Legion. A Perennial Foe Throughout their time with Blackmoore's military, they and clashed regularly with members of the Forsaken, who frequently intruded upon the mountainous lands of the state. Never a friend of the Horde, Talarman and Shior grew increasingly outspoken in favor of open military action against the forces of Sylvannas Windrunner, especially as storm clouds began to gather, suggesting a coming confrontation between the Alliance and the Horde. After a series of disagreements with certain prominent members of Alterac society, the pair resigned from the martial order to seek an organization with tenets more in line with their own. The War of Thorns Interestingly enough, shortly after their resignation, they were contacted by now Cardinal Adamant, who invited them to return to his Remnant. The officers with whom Talarman and Shior had disagreed with had departed, and the order was seeking to re-build. They eagerly accepted the invitation, and were almost immediately swept up in the lightning strike against Darnassus by Sylvannas Windrunner's Horde. Assigned to the Alliance relief effort, they arrived in Darkshore too late to make a difference in the fighting, and watched from the beach as Teldrassil burned. Following the destruction of the most visible font of Elune's supposed power on Azeroth, Shior grew notably more militant in her belief in the Light. Shortly afterwards, she began aggressively confronting any Elunite she encountered, calling upon them to give up their heretical beliefs and turn to the true Light. While she has swayed few with this tact, she maintains the Light allowed the destruction of Teldrassil as a testament to the weakness of the false god Elune. They returned to the Eastern Kingdoms in time to take part in the Alliance response, taking part in the initially successful assault on Lordaeron. Following Sylvannas' gassing of the ruins, the duo took part in a series of skirmishes against the remaining Horde forces as they retreated through Silverpine Forest before rejoining the Remnant as it prepared to take part in the coming war.Category:Characters Category:Draenei Category:Brotherhood of Clemency Category:Remnant of Lordaeron